Sir Rowland Hill

Sitter in 7 portraitsSir Rowland Hill came from a family of progressive educationalists, and in 1819 he helped his family to establish a school in Edgbaston based on the ideals of representative democracy and competitive capitalism. In 1837 Hill formulated a set of proposals for postal reform, published as Post Office Reform: its Importance and Practicability. He argued that the existing system was too complicated and hindered the expansion of trade and ideas. Hill suggested a uniform postage rate irrespective of distance that was paid in advance by the sender, not the recipient, and proposed a device that became known as the postage stamp. Hill's ideas were implemented in 1840, propelling him from relative obscurity to being a nationally-known figure.

Can you tell us more about this person? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.

There are occasions when we are unsure of the identity of a sitter or artist, their life dates, occupation or have not recorded their family relationships. Sometimes we have not recorded the date of a portrait. Do you have specialist knowledge or a particular interest about any aspect of the portrait or sitter or artist that you can share with us? We would welcome any information that adds to and enhances our information and understanding about a particular portrait, sitter or artist.

The National Portrait Gallery will NOT use your information to contact you or store for any other purpose than to investigate or display your contribution. By ticking permission to publish you are indicating your agreement for your contribution to be shown on this collection item page. Please note your email address will not be displayed on the page nor will it be used for any marketing material or promotion of any kind.

Please ensure your comments are relevant and appropriate. Your contributions must be polite and with no intention of causing trouble. All contributions are moderated.